UCSB UBRARY
S A B R I N A
The Class Goddess
OF
AMHERST COLLEGE
A HISTORY
Compiled by
MAX SHOOP
Guardian for Class of 1910
Copyrighted 1910
Max Shoop, Amherst, Mass.
Press of
LORING-AXTELL COMPANY,
Springfield, Mass.
Co tfce Class of 1910
among whose loyal members I have found
so many friends,
this life of our Goddess is
^Dedicated.
PREFACE
I HE bronze statue of
Sabrina, of which
this book is a history,
has played a promi-
nent part in the inter-
class affairs of Amherst College since
the early eighties. Before the mem-
ory of man begins to fail on
the interesting details of the early
history of this statue, it seemed best
that an authentic history be pub-
lished. It is fitting that all Sabrina
men, at least, should be intimately
acquainted with the story.
The facts contained herein are
as accurate and full as could be
obtained by the compiler, who
has endeavored to maintain, as
nearly as his love for Sabrina would
permit, the impartiality of the his-
torian. This book is published in
5
the hope that what it lacks in
literary worth will be made up in
the minds of the readers by the
unusual nature of the theme.
In publishing this book the com-
piler has been greatly assisted with
facts and personal reminiscences by
the following Amherst men, : Edwin
Duffey, '90; E. B. Child, '90;
John T. Stone, '91; R. B. Luding-
ton, '91; H. C. Crocker, '91;
James M. Breed, '93; Harlan F.
Stone, '94 ; Benjamin Hyde, '94 ;
H. T. Noyes, '94 ; Grosvenor
Backus, '94; Charles J. Staples, '96;
Samuel Furbish, '98 ; Ferdinand
Blanchard, '98; E. E. Green, '00;
Robert Cleeland,'02; J.B. Eastman,
'04; Ralph Wheeler, '06; Fayette
Read, '08. The writer is indebted
to Prof. John F. Genung for his
introduction and helpful criticism,
and also to Burges Johnson, '99
for his appreciation of Sabrina, here
published.
The sketches were drawn by J.
F. Swalley, '10.
MAX SHOOP.'IO.
INTRODUCTION
)HE little book here
offered to the reader
opens a window into
a phase of college
life hitherto known
only by floating rumors and detached
bits of alumni reminiscence. In one
way it seems almost a pity to let
the grey light of common day into
what has had so authentic a touch
of the mysterious and romantic. In
another way, however, so far from
taking the glamour out of the Sabrina
cult, it but drives the sentiment
deeper into the imaginative college
heart. The facts are before us
indeed, like a news item, in the
prosaic realism of print. But the
facts are only the surface of the
matter. For to those who read
them penetratively they turn out to
9
be a chronicle not of irresponsible
school-boy pranks, but of that pulsa-
tion of fancy and adventure which
is sure to claim its rights in a vigorous
and healthy youth. Sabrina, for
the college man, is not a mass of
metal, stowed away in haymows
and shipped from place to place
to the profit of the express companies;
not a mere occasion for audacious
student larks. She is a divinity,
fair and gracious, a gentle protectress
who herself deigns to be protected;
her throne a rallying-point for class
loyalty and fellowship and enthusi-
asm. As such she holds a unique
place in college and in the memory
of her devotees.
Let us look a little through the
window she opens and see what the
view yields of the secret of Sabrina
and of what she stands for in college
life.
10
We will choose, to look through,
the eyes of a man, a business man
say, who is looking into college
from the outside, and who himself
has never been to college. His sons
are there, getting an experience
which has been denied him. From
time to time come echoes of how
they fare, such reports as reach him
through the newspapers. What are
his hopeful wards doing all this
time? If his exacting business cares
allow him an occasional thought
of them, it surely must be not
unlike the thought that came to
Byron's gladiator, - ' There are
his young barbarians all at play."
The newspapers do not report much
more. The scores of football and
baseball and tennis and track fill
the page and make exciting news;
he sees his boys' pictures in padded
clothes or in thin drawers clearly
11
not meant for the costume of the
class-room. About the class-room
itself, and the library, and the
laboratory, he may search in vain
for reports of achievement or prog-
ress; such things do not make
sensational items for the crowd.
Even the sons themselves, home on
their vacation, one suspects, are not
eloquent about their college routine,
or they pass it off with hints of the
bluffs and tricks by which the
routine is enlivened. What are they
doing to become scholars, or get
ready for the coming toil and
moil of business? Clearly, if the
outsider depends on the papers
for his information, college is a
holiday, a place for high jinks
and play.
But the world sees only what it
has eyes to see. And so far as
externalities go, the outside world
12
is right. College is a place for
play. That is in a sense its glory.
But it is not a place where they con-
tinue to be " his young barbarians
all at play." Somehow, they them-
selves scarcely know how, they are
passing out of the barbarian stratum
into something that makes the play
a finer, more civilized thing. For
there is play and play. There is
play with the keen sense of honor
and culture in it, with disdain of
what belongs to the mucker and the
cad. There is such a thing as
play in work, such ease and mastery
of its processes as takes the moil and
drudgery out of it; an ideal which
the true scholar finds, but of which
we do not here speak. The fellows
are learning even to make play of
baseball, and thus interpose a make-
weight against the inveterate Ameri-
can tendency to make it a hustling
13
business and profession. They are
learning, in short, in the whole atmos-
phere of their work and their games,
that the trail of the counting-room
must not impose its hardening, sear-
ing impress on the real inwardness
of life; their college fellowship fur-
nishes a subtle refining element
which releases them from its nar-
rowness and tyranny.
Just here is where the outsider's
realizing sense of the college spirit
wholly fails. He has not the com-
bination to unlock its secret. Kip-
ling describes a multi-millionaire's
feeling of this limitation in the char-
acter of Cheyne, in " Captains
Courageous." Cheyne has untold
power to bend circumstances to his
hard will and manipulate men; but
he is urging his son to go to college
because, as he says, " I can't com-
pete with the man who has been
14
ia.ugh.il" He feels himself a hope-
less outsider. " Don't I know it?
Don't I know the look on men's
faces when they think me a a
' mucker,' as they call it out here?
I can break them to little pieces
yes but I can't get back at 'em
to hurt 'em where they live. I don't
say they're 'way, 'way up, but I feel
I'm 'way, 'way, 'way off, some-
how." He attributes his lack to
what he calls " the plain, common,
sit - down - with - your -chin-on-your-
elbows book-learning." Well, that
helps, as every son of old Amherst
knows. But that, as Kipling would
say, is another story. There is a
subtle element beyond learning, as
one can realize by observing the
limitatious of the college "grind."
To connect the secret with
Sabrina would seem to men like
Cheyne like evaporating all that is
15
substantial in college to a fra-
grance. Nor indeed would I make
any extravagant claim for her. All
I would claim for this Sabrina
custom is that here is revealed a
subtle and elusive but very real ele-
ment of college life, something be-
yond the inane prank and beyond
the exactions of sport. We get,
in short, a glimpse into the col-
lege man's centre of active senti-
ment, where his youthful fancy, his
play of imagination, his sense of
loyalty and ideal, have spontaneous
outlet. It is like the soldier's loyalty
for his flag. The Sabrina man,
with his privileged class, is in the
conscious service of a protecting and
propitious divinity. He will do
anything for her; he will not limit
the good she stands for to him.
Here the Sabrina man will doubt-
less be the first to exclaim, as chil-
16
dren say of their prodigious fairy-
tales, " Oh, nonsense; it isn't so;
we only just say so." But to say
so, and to act accordingly, is
something. It is evidence that in
this crowded college world the
vein of fancy, of poetry if you
please, even though only wreak-
ing itself on a confessed make-
believe, is not extinct or running
low. Task-work in books and lab-
oratory has not deadened it; dress
suits have not conventionalized it;
the rough activities t>f sport and
athletics have not swamped it in
barbarian play. The freedom of
audacious make-believe still asserts
its rights. Even when boys have
become husky young men, old
enough to shave, the grey realism
of life has not completed its hard
invasion, and by the grace of the
college ideal it never will.
17
As long as this sentiment remains
vital and this holds for alumni
as for undergraduates the stolid
world cannot really, as Cheyne puts
it, *' hurt 'em where they live." The
poetic vein is there, not exhausted
by Sabrina, nor monopolized by the
even-numbered classes. Stevenson
shall speak for it here. He, as
my readers are aware, has written
a capital Sabrina paper, in his
essay on " The Lantern Bearers."
Only his Sabrina was a carefully
concealed bull's-eye lantern which
on certain secret occasions the boys
carried at their belt. ' The essence
of the bliss was to walk by yourself
in the black night; the slide shut,
the top-coat buttoned; not a ray
escaping, whether to conduct your
footsteps or to make your glory
public: a mere pillar of darkness in
the dark; and all the while, deep
18
down in the privacy of your fool's
heart, to know you had a bull's-
eye at your belt, and to exult and
sing over the knowledge." Just as
" none could recognize a lantern-
bearer, unless (like the pole-cat)
by the smell," so perhaps no out-
sider can recognize the Sabrina
man except by his class number.
But there he is, cherishing a senti-
ment which is its own justification,
and which through all the coming
years of alumni-hood, let us hope,
will keep the glamour of college
days alive. "It is said that a poet
has died young in the breast of the
most stolid. It may be contended
rather that this (somewhat minor)
bard in almost every case survives,
and is the spice of life to his posses-
sor. Justice is not done to the
versatility and the unplumbed child-
ishness of man's imagination. His
19
life from without may seem but a
rude mound of mud; there will be
some golden chamber at the heart
of it, in which he dwells delighted;
and for as dark as his pathway
seems to the observer, he will have
some kind of a bull's-eye at his
belt."
The little book before us lets in
the light, not rudely nor unsym-
pathetically, on our Amherst lantern-
bearers. Here we are made aware
of what Duffey and Ingalls with
their mystic Sabrina vision,(delicious
thought!) and Ben Hyde and Char-
ley Staples, with their banquet-
ing and singing classmates, have
had and still have buttoned up
under their top-coats. It is a de-
lightful thing to discover. The heart
of the old professor who writes
these words, who has lived through
the whole Sabrina period, warms
20
to the poet who has not died young
within them. The dig or the dawd-
ler must be left to look out for
himself; he has chosen his own
inner resources; but since Sabrina
has had these men in her keeping,
and they her in theirs, they are live
men; we need have no fear for them.
And as often as they live over again
their Sabrina experience, and cherish
its enriching effects, they will verify,
in English if not in Latin, what
they dimly felt at the time of it,
OLIM MEMINISSE JUVABIT.
So we give the little book our
hearty good-speed.
JOHN F. GENUNG.
21
AN APPRECIATION
By a Non-Sabrina Man.
d.Sabrina is, at the present date of
writing, Goddess of Amherst's even-
numbered classes. Her countenance
sheds a certain effulgence over this
portion of the graduate and under-
graduate body, with perhaps just
such a mentally benumbing influence
as was wielded by Circe's baleful
beauty. As this history is written
by one of Sabrina's subjects, it is
perhaps advisable to have it pref-
aced by the graduate of an odd
year, who, undazzled, unprejudiced,
with an eye single to the truth, may
put the reader on his guard.
Imagine a female (Goddess if
you will, for residence on Olympus
entitled no certificate of character)
of uncertain age, brazen beyond
denial, and bearing the scars of
ancient brawls. Realize that she
23
has travelled the breadth of the
land, wining and dining annually
only at stag occasions; evading the
police and detectives, and all this
in a costume that were better not
described, if indeed it merits the
name.
These facts it seems well to place
before the reader, as a matter of
fairness. On the other hand, the
fact that a heroine is no lady does
not lessen the popular interest in
her memoirs, as a study of current
literature proves. And it may be
said in Sabrina's behalf that she
has always been true to Amherst;
and surely constancy to so worthy
an object for such a term of years
is a mighty virtue. For that reason,
if for no other, the voices of odd-
and even-numbered classes some-
times blend, singing in mighty chorus
the stirring paean in her praise.
SURGES JOHNSON, '99.
24
S A B R I N A
There is a gentle nymph not far from hence,
That with moist curb, sways the smooth Severn
stream ;
Sabrina is her name, a virgin fair.
Comas.
JVERY people has
had its guardian
deity, for it is man's
nature to worship.
The ancient Greeks
looked to Athena or Aphrodite for
protection and inspiration. These
dwellers upon Olympus have come
and gone and their day in the
affections of men passed long, long
ago. But man's affections remain,
and seek some object of worship.
Myriads of deities have from time
to time blessed men with their
presence. It has been reserved to
certain chosen men of Amherst
25
College, in Massachusetts, to cherish
still as their patron Goddess, and
the guardian of their college life,
the beautiful and chaste Sabrina,
the Athena of the Saxon race.
The gods of the Greeks belonged
to all alike. Sabrina, though for-
merly Goddess of the Britons,
wearied with watching the ordinary
run of men, has turned all her pro-
tection and devotion to the chosen
few of the little college on the hill
at Amherst. She signifies every-
thing to her followers, and they never
grow tired of singing her praises
and glorious name, especially to
those unfortunate ones who have
only been allowed to gaze at her
from afar and have tried hard to
conceal the envy which rises strong
within them because they too may
not know the calm and peace of her
protecting care.
26
Whenever Sabrina men stand in
her majestic presence, there rushes
over them as a mighty flood the
memory of how her influence has
enriched their college life; and once
more they recall the old but fascinat-
ing story of all her thrilling ex-
periences since the time she was
born long, long ago in the darkness
of a prison to a life of captivity,
before she became the River God-
dess of the Britons.
It was about three thousand years
ago that Hymyr, the Hun, descended
with his savage violence, and laid
waste the beautiful country along
the banks of the river Albis in
Germany. As part of his booty,
Hymyr carried off the beautiful
daughter of the German king to
be his slave. The wild Hun con-
27
tinued his destruction along the
coast of Frigia until he reached the
rich island of Albion, newly named
Briton from its king Brutus. He
sailed up the coast to the province
called Albany, and landing there
with his fierce sea-robbers easily
defeated Albanactus, the King, and
drove him from his realm. Hymyr
and his men then revelled in the
halls of Albanactus in heedless
security. It was a joyous place,
this land of the Britons, and the
Huns had no thought of care for
the morrow.
Meanwhile the defeated Alba-
nactus had secured the aid of his
brother, King Locrinus of Loegria.
The two brothers and their armies
fell upon the Huns in the midst of
their revels, and, killing Hymyr,
took his followers captive. Then
all the treasure from Hymyr's ships
28
was laid before the two kings.
There were costly garments, precious
vessels, bronze, gold, and armour,
spoils of many palaces. And as
the two brothers admired, lo, one
brought the fair captive, Princess
Esyllt, daughter of the German
King. '* When the eyes of Locrinus
lighted on her, albeit her look was
bent on the ground, and her long
hair almost hid her features, love
suddenly flooded his soul, and he
stood like one smitten by the power-
ful wand of a magician." To his
brother Albanactus, he gladly gave
all the gold and riches, satisfied to
have but Esyllt for his own. He
wooed her for his wife, and took
her back with him to his kingdom.
It seems, however, that this Locrinus
had previously promised Corineus,
the giant king of the Welch, to
take to wife his daughter Guendolen.
29
But Locrinus did not love this
daughter of the Welch king. Never-
theless, when Corineus heard of
Locrinus' marriage to Esyllt, he
was exceeding wroth and prepared
to march against Locrinus, and
punish him for the insult he had
offered him and his daughter.
King Locrinus, hearing of his
coming, and boding ill of the issue,
privily hid his wife Esyllt in a
shepherd's hut, and caused a rumor
to be spread throughout his kingdom
that the Queen had suddenly died.
These tidings met Corineus on the
way, and somewhat slaked his
fury. He proceeded, however, and
forced Locrinus, on pain of death,
to fulfill his pledge and marry his
daughter. The king, with a heavy
heart, assented and formed an un-
happy marriage with the haughty
Guendolen.
30
The Queen Esyllt meanwhile tar-
ried sadly in the shepherd's hut,
wearying for the coming of her lord.
She bore the time patiently, yet
longed for his return. She had
heard the shepherd tell of the
terrible happenings at the palace, and
she lay awake the nights, weep-
ing and praying the gods to pro-
tect her lord and restore him to
her in the fullness of his love.
Fearing the jealous eye of Guen-
dolen, Locrinus fitted up a secret
chamber which had been curiously
contrived years before by his father
Brutus, for the deposit of treasure.
Thither one night he brought his
beautiful Esyllt. She had not been
many days in this dark chamber
when a daughter was born to her.
The little Sabrina, as the Queen
Esyllt named her, pined not for
what she knew not of. The pale
31
light of the lamp which burnt night
and day in the dark chamber
could not ripen the color in her
cheeks or waken the laughter on
her lips, as the goodly sun does.
She became a child of captivity,
yet not unhappy even in her darkened
life. For seven long years she
dwelt in this secret chamber. Only
through the words of her guarding
mother did she learn aught of the
outer world. Sabrina grew most
beautiful, with a beauty of sur-
passing sweetness, unknown in sun-
kissed mortals.
At the end of seven years the
mighty king Corineus died, and
straightway Locrinus put away the
haughty Guendolen, with whom
life had become unbearable, and
he took back to him on his throne
the beautiful Queen Esyllt for whom
he had waited so long. Again
joy filled the halls the palace.
32
The beauty of the little Sabrina
won praise from all the court; but
the glory of the upper world was
well nigh too much for the child.
She hid herself from the light and
sounds of the palace and the at-
tention of the courtiers. She lan-
guished for the still chamber which
had so long been her home. Her
nature craved the sunless life,
the life of captivity. She was most
gentle of speech, and a sweet smile
played continually over her face,
like moonlight on the waters.
When Sabrina had grown to
woman's estate, tidings came that
the haughty Guendolen had re-
turned to her father's kingdom,
and now with a large army was
marching eastward, vowing to slay
Locrinus, and take Esyllt and Sa-
brina captive. The King hurriedly
marshalled his army, and taking
33
Esyllt and the Princess with him,
marched boldly to meet the army
of Guendolen on his frontier. A
fierce battle ensued, in which Locrin-
us was struck down by an arrow,
and in the subsequent rout of his
army Sabrina and her mother were
captured. The haughty daughter
of Corineus gloried in her victory,
heaping insults on the dead king
and reviling the two women who
stood trembling before her. As they
answered not her charges, Guen-
dolen ordered them without more
ado to be flung into the river that
was flowing hard by. As six fierce
warriors sprang forward to seize
them, Sabrina gazed pleadingly into
the face of her mother, who there-
upon lifting her head looked straight
into the eyes of her captor, this
daughter of Corineus, and spake
thus, " Princess, if I have wronged
34
thee, the gods have richly avenged
thee, seeing that I did it unwillingly,
yea, even unwittingly. The fate
thou adjudgest to me and to this
child is indeed a merciful one;
I seek not to change it it is far,
far better to fall thus into the hands
of the gods; but add to it yet this
boon, let not the hands of thy
warriors come upon the maiden,
seeing that she is a Princess and
a daughter of the noble Locrinus.
Behold, we go whither thou bidst
us, and may the merciful gods
receive us!"
Thus speaking she walked down
the green meadow to the amber
stream, Sabrina walking lightly by
her side. And as they came to
the brink and the murmuring waters
kissed their feet, the two women
turned their faces to the setting
sun which was touching the purple
35
hills with radiant splendor. Sabrina
silently saluted it before long she
would be there. As in a dream
she saw herself a queen there
in the land of the setting sun, and
at her feet many followers, of a
different race than these whom
she was now leaving forever. Esyllt
bowed her head joyfully, for she
could see Locrinus beckoning, and
a vision of future happiness blotted
out the terror of the moment. After
mother and child had silently em-
braced each other, hand in hand
they bravely plunged into the cold
bosom of the stream, sank, and no
one saw them more. But the name
of the beautiful princess clung ever
to the stream, and men as they
wander by the glassy Severn in
Old England dream, even yet, of
the gentle Sabrina, who became
a Goddess of the river and of the
Britons.
36
Sabrina remained for a time in
those halls of the River Gods,
harkening ever to the cry of the
innocent, and lending her help to
the honest and virtuous. But one
thing the Britons did not know,
that in the course of time, tiring
of the society of the other Gods
of the river, Sabrina roamed to
the land of the setting sun, the land
toward which she had looked so
longingly as she stepped into the
cold waters of the Severn. Mean-
while for long ages had elapsed
this land had become America,
and was peopled with men who
had need of her gracious presence.
And thus it happened that among
these purple hills of New England
she appeared to a few men of
Amherst College, and in a vision
spake to them, " I am the Goddess
Sabrina, the Goddess of Truth and
37
Loyalty. The old statue which
once graced your Campus and now
lies hidden in an old barn, I have
chosen for my abode. Henceforth,
that statue shall be more than a mere
bronze form. I shall breathe into
it my spirit, and if you will but
cherish the statue and do it honor,
I shall be your Goddess forever."
With those words Sabrina vanished,
the dream was dispelled, and when
morning came the men were not
unmindful of the vision.
38
was in the year 1857 that
Governor Joel Hayden of Massa-
chusetts gave a sum of money to
Amherst College for the erection
of a bronze statue of the Goddess
Sabrina. The original from which
this copy was made is at Shrewsbury,
England. The statue presented to
the college was made in 1857.
Its weight is three hundred and
fifty pounds; it is four and a half
feet high. The college valued the
gift highly, and placed it in the
center of a flower-bed on the Cam-
pus, at the foot of the terrace,
midway between North College
Dormitory and the Octagon. There
it remained for a number of years
in peaceful solitude. The sum-
mers came and went, but they were
all the same to Sabrina. Storm
and sunshine passed over her with
like effect. Her garment of driven
39
snow suited her as beautifully as
did the pearly raindrops of summer.
She continued to sit amidst the
flowers of the garden, always smil-
ing upon the students as they passed
to their college duties.
The statue rested upon a large
brownstone base, about two feet
high, four and a half feet long,
and three wide. On the front of
this stone the students read every
morning on their way to Chapel,
the words,
PRESENTED
BY
JOEL HAYDEN
OF
HAYDENVILLE.
This block now stands in the
rear of the new Observatory, on
Snell Street.
After several years, the students
began to take more notice of Sabrina.
About 1 860, a certain energetic
40
student stole some clothing from
a line in the rear of the girls' school
then conducted in Amherst and
proceeded, one morning, to dress
Sabrina in this apparel. Dr. Hitch-
cock saw and chased the student,
who in jumping a fence caught his
coat on a picket and hung there
until Dr. Hitchcock apprehended
him. The youth was severely rep-
rimanded by a committee of the
Faculty, and the morning after a
huge gash was found in Sabrina's
cheek where the malignant student
had avenged himself with the aid
of an axe. Sabrina felt deeply
this insult but with some skillful
hammering the wound was healed.
Later the class of '70, after the
Faculty had expelled one of their
classmates, gave her a shining coat
of whitewash. Others took pity
on her nudity and, at different
41
times, painted articles of clothing,
bright red shawls or blue stock-
ings, and at times she was adorned
with a hat or a cloak. Between
1876 and 1880, she changed color
capriciously from black to white
and white to black, running the
gamut of the rainbow. When the
tar walks were being laid in the
town, she was rudely taken from
her stone pedestal and plunged
headfirst into the soft tar. Soon
after, however, she reappeared,
smiling brightly as ever from the
center of the flower garden.
One year the class of '77 carried
her off for almost a week. She
was returned, however, in good
condition. " And then President
Stearns opened the vials of his
sarcasm on poor '77, wishing them
to understand that they had done
nothing at all original, for Sabrina
42
SABRINA IN THE FLOWER BED
had been courted many times before,
and that about once every year."
The mystic ceremonies of the modern
cult of Sabrina were to be developed
later. In this early period, the
stunts were performed by individuals
rather than classes. On one occa-
sion " the good people of Amherst
were rudely called to their windows
by a most unusual racket to see
the major part of the college in an
unofficial parade, cheering vocifer-
ously and carrying an improvised
platform on which Sabrina was
seated, draped in a beautiful coat
of whitewash, still hardly dry."
The procession toured the village
common and finally returned Sabrina
to her home among the flowers.
One morning, in 1878, she ap-
peared on top of the Octagon,
calmly holding a rag baby labeled
*'81." This was the first time
43
in the history of the statue when
it figured to any great extent as a
class venture. This escapade of
hers, in which she had the kind
assistance of the class of '80, was
only the beginning of a number
of such performances on her part.
'82 planned an elaborate Class
Supper and having stolen Sabrina
at night, toasted her as the guest
of honor at the banquet. '83 was
very rough and ungentle, and after
a decisive victory over Williams
in baseball, threw her into the
college well. The college authori-
ties had considerable difficulty in
securing an efficient rescue party,
and Sabrina dwelt in the well
for several days. She was finally
rescued, however, apparently none
the worse for the cold plunge.
Such episodes occurred every year
or so after some big victory. Sa-
brina, however, never seemed to
mind, though her exterior began
to look just a trifle battered.
The college authorities, of course,
tried to put an end to this fun,
but with little success. Sabrina
stood there patiently year after year,
except for intermittent reigns of
terror. One day a number of stu-
dents dragged the statue to the top
of Chapel Tower. Several times
she was found greeting a class
in the morning, from the top of
some professor's desk. From time
to time she was adorned with every
shade of war paint. Such indig-
nities grew in number every year,
and the bronze statue was so woe-
fully treated after every victory
that the authorities of the college
at last decided to be rid of her,
45
and so put an end to all such
pranks. Consequently, in 1 884,
the President drew " Professor
Charlie," the janitor of the college,
aside, and told him to take the
statue from the Campus and break
it up.
Now Professor Charlie, as he
was called, was a good old darky
who was employed about the col-
lege grounds to take care of things
in general, and to see that the
pranks the students played were
not too destructive. He was about
the college from 1850 to 1890.
He was always absolutely faithful
to his duties and never told tales
on either the students or the faculty.
But whenever the boys tried to pull
off a trick, Professor Charlie was
always around early in the morn-
ing to see that the scene of action
was put to rights before any one
46
was about. It was the soft answer
that turned away wrath, for the
students could not be angry with
him he was only doing his duty.
One night the students stole the
clapper out of the Chapel bell.
Somehow, Professor Charlie found
it out before morning, and was up
in the tower bright and early with
a new clapper. And when the bell
rang the same as usual, the students
could not understand how it hap-
pened. Again this stunt was at-
tempted, but with the same result.
Finally, Professor Charlie told the
boys that they might as well quit
for he had enough clappers to
provide the Chapel bell for a year.
At another time some students had
stolen all the prayer-books from
the Chapel the evening before,
so that prayers might not be held
the next morning. Professor Char-
47
lie discovered it about a half
hour before chapel. He quietly
went over to the house of President
Seelye and slipped a note under
his door, saying that the President
had better bring a small prayer-
book with him that morning. The
President took the hint, and so
prayers were conducted as usual,
and the students never knew why
their plot had been unsuccessful.
Well, it was this good-souled
old darky, whom President Seelye
told to smash the statue. Pro-
fessor Charlie took pity, however,
because Sabrina was " such a beau-
tiful thing," and instead of breaking
it up, he hid it under a pile of hay
in his old barn on Snell Street,
away below Blake Field. There
it remained undisturbed for two
years.
It was during mid-winter of the
48
"PROF." CHARLIE AND THE COLLEGE WELL
year 1886 that the "Goddess"
Sabrina wandered into the snow-
covered hills of New England,
and a little later appeared in a
dream to two men of the class of '90,
Duffey and Ingalls, and it is said
by those who know that "these two
men were just the right ones to be
favored with such a supernatural
manifestation." For they immedi-
ately set out to find her, and from
that time on the oft-mutilated statue
was deified, and ever since has
been a living Goddess, and for
seventeen years the Goddess of the
Even Classes.
Duffey and Ingalls, the men '90
to whom Sabrina appeared in a (1886-1890)
dream, were not " disobedient unto
the vision." They were living in
49
their Freshmen year at Guernsey's,
on the road to old Blake Field.
They learned from these people
the previous history of Sabrina
and were told that because of the
frequent abuse of the statue the
college had caused it to be removed,
and that rumor held that Professor
Charlie still had it in his house
down the road. DufTey and Ingalls
told the news to Raymond '90
and the three planned a raid on
Prof. Charlie's house. As it hap-
pened, E. B. Child, also of the
class of '90, learned the same story
at about the same time from some
town-folk who hung about the black-
smith's shop in town, and according
to them suspicion pointed strongly
to Professor Charlie as the man
who had the statue, so Child,
Duffey, Raymond and Ingalls
planned a raid.
50
The stealing occurred Sunday
night, June 19, 1887, which was
'90's Freshman year. It was at the
time that the Central Massachusetts
Railroad from Amherst to Northamp-
ton was in process of construction.
Near Prof. Charlie's house there
was a camp of Italian workmen.
A couple of the '90 men went down
comparatively early to look over
the ground. As they neared the
house, Prof. Charlie appeared on
the scene. There was consternation
for a minute till one of the boys
conceived the idea of asking Charlie
to direct them to the Italian camp.
This excuse passed as an explana-
tion for the presence of the boys
in that part of town at that hour.
At any rate it allayed Charlie's
suspicions, if he had any, and he
went on his way to the village to
prayer meeting.
51
After dark, Duffey, Durgin, Ingalls,
Child and Raymond, gathered at
Charlie's house, and no one being
at home, they searched the house.
It was first assumed that the barn
could not be the hiding place of
Sabrina, since rumor had it that
the old darky had secluded her
safely in the house. They got into
the house through the cellar and
searched the entire place, to no
avail of course. They then tried
the barn. Unfastening the doors,
one of the men struck a match. At
the first glimmer of light Ingalls
noticed a piece of white cloth which
appeared to have been thrown over
an image of some kind. They
quickly shifted the pieces of harness
which hung near, pulled off the
cloth, and three or four grasped the
statue, and carried it as quietly
and quickly as possible from the
52
barn. Avoiding the house they
started off through the fields and
got into freshly plowed ground.
They were soon winded, especially
the man who was carrying the head
end all alone, he " will never forget
that as long as he lives." The
statue weighs at least 300 pounds.
Ingalls hurried off to get Guernsey's
wheelbarrow, and after that the
going was much easier. With Sa-
brina in the wheelbarrow, they
quickly took her to Guernsey's house,
where they left her in the cellar
over night.
That night, or rather the early
morning of June 20th, a big celebra-
tion had been planned. '90 had
nailed its class pennant to the flag
pole on Chapel Tower, and had
effectually barricaded the stairway.
Funds had been collected for an
elaborate re-introduction of Sabrina
53
to the college at that time. '89,
however, discovered the plans too
soon, and the affair dissolved itself
into a free-for-all fight for the
possession of Chapel Tower and
the flag. It was a fierce contest, and
the stairway leading to the top was
destroyed. Harrison had his leg
broken in jumping from a window,
subsequent to the report that the
Faculty were coming. The pos-
sibility of a surprise appearance of
Sabrina was eliminated. Conse-
quently, early that morning, the
statue was taken to the old attic in
Guernsey's house, and there it re-
mained until Commencement time
of their Sophomore year, 1 888.
Meanwhile the class of '90 had
formed the intention of having Sa-
brina at their class banquet in
New London, and to Kimball of
that class was assigned a toast
54
on Sabrina. "Charles Wells, '91,
heard through the register of his
room several Sophomores talking
in a study below, and he managed
to gather from the hushed voices
that they were going to take some-
thing, then in the attic of Guern-
sey's house, to their class banquet.
Wells waited long enough to hear
some of their final arrangements,
and then he hurried off to tell two
other members of '91, Allen and
Hammond, and together they
planned a capture. '90 as a class
had already taken the train for the
dinner, leaving the care of Sabrina
in the hands of only four men.
On the appointed day about ten
men of the class of '91 gathered
in Wells' room on Woodside Avenue.
Among these were Morris, Hamilton,
Crosier, Knight, Woodruff, Luding-
ton, Hammond, and Crocker. Old
55
Guernsey with two husky Sophs
on the seat soon appeared, driving
a wagon containing the bulky form
of Sabrina wrapped in a gunny sack.
In front of Wells' house, Kimball
of '90 and another man of that
class joined the expressman. The
'91 men followed under cover of
the trees. At the road leading from
Woodside Avenue up to Chapel,
the Sophs left the team for some
unknown reason and cut across
the hill to the Central Vermont
Station, thus leaving the statue un-
protected." This was a signal for
the '91 men. As soon as the Sophs
were around the corner they sprang
out from hiding. Three of them
seized Guernsey and held the horse,
while others moved Sabrina into
a buggy which Crozier and Morris
had found up by " Tip's " Lab, and
had brought down the hill in the
56
front of Chapel just in the nick
of time, as old Guernsey was
being waylaid. Wells and Allen
were soon on the Hamp Road with
this ' borrowed team ' at a gallop,
and the plan of the class of '90 to
take Sabrina to their class dinner
and resurrect her glorified form in
special festivities came to naught.
Some of the fellows wandered down
to the Central Vermont Station, and
were there when old Guernsey came
jogging along with his empty wagon.
Dunham, Fahy, and some other
fellows were standing there, and
their consternation when they saw
the empty wagon is better imagined
than described.
' Where is it?" they angrily de-
manded of the old man.
' They got it," he meekly replied.
" Who got it?"
" I guess they was Freshmen."
57
The rest of the conversation is
better imagined than printed. It
has never been reported what was
said in Kimball's toast to Sabrina
that night at New London but
'91 never cared.
'Wells and Allen, '91, mean-
while were fast approaching the
Connecticut with their fair burden.
By the time they reached the river
the horse was well-nigh exhausted
and, fearing pursuit, they drove
up stream a little way and dumped
Sabrina into the river. Then they
drove back to Amherst only to be
met half-way by the irate owner
of the rig, who threatened suit for
horse-stealing, damages for injury
done to the horse, and a whole
lot of other disagreeable things.
It is said that he was paid a nominal
sum for the unbargained rent of his
horse and buggy. At any rate no
suit was brought."
58
Sabrina slept that summer under
the cool waters of the Connecticut,
sunken well out of sight. " In the
fall, when the excitement had qui-
eted down, Wells fished her out
of the Connecticut and took her
to his home in Hatfield, where she
was boarded up in a room without
any doors, there to remain until
the Sophomore banquet of the class
of '91, at New London, Conn.
The following is a poem descriptive
of the preceding episode which
was published in the '91 Olio.
It is entitled " Sabrina."
The summer term was closing fast,
When through old Amherst village passed
The Class of Ninety, on the road
To the depot with their precious load,
Sabrina.
For now, indeed, 'twas their intent
To add to joy and merriment
By taking, their festive board to grace,
The maiden with the pretty face,
Sabrina.
59
This fact has oft come to our ken,
The best laid plans of mice and men
Do fail. And this was just the case
With Ninety and that form of grace,
Sabrina.
For to the Class of Ninety-One
Thejmowledge of their plan had come,
And each man solemnly declared
" This toast to-night shall not be heard,
Sabrina."
So when Old Guernsey, in his cart,
For the New London Northern made a start
With that fair Goddess snug within,
At once the Freshmen howled like sin,
" Sabrina."
" Deter me not," the old man said,
In mortal terror for his head,
" The power of Ninety is great and wide,"
But loud a clarion voice replied,
" Sabrina."
And e'en before the dear old man
Had really grasped their wicked plan,
He heard mid sounds of trampling feet
A voice which cried far up the street,
" Sabrina."
60
They drove the maid o'er hill and dale
Until they reached a gloomy vale,
And then without a hymn or prayer,
In silence grim, they buried there,
Sabrina.
The Sophomores they cussed and swore
Of oaths some ninety gross or more;
But to their supper had to go
Without the girl they'd longed for so,
Sabrina.
And if to-day you wish to cloy
Some dainty little Ninety boy,
It always works for reasons clear,
To whisper softly in his ear,
" Sabrina!"
61
'91 C> June, 1889, the class of '91
(1887-1889) had its Sophomore banquet at Watch
Hill, R. I. Sabrina was in at-
tendance and was cheered and
honored as never before. The class
chartered a tug and after a trip
about the Sound followed the Yale-
Harvard boat race with Sabrina
still seated proudly in a place of
honor in the bow. The day was
fair and the charming Goddess
caused quite a sensation among the
followers of the race. Many were the
questions asked among the crowd,
and strange to say none knew who
the fair figure was. H. C. Crocker
was acting as guardian. That even-
ing she was taken by train to
Westerly, R. I., and then to Watch
Hill by wagon. She appeared dur-
ing the banquet about three o'clock
in the morning, carried by four men
who walked around the tables with
62
Sabrma on their shoulders, while
the '91 men sang,
Sabrina, Sabrina, we drink to thee,
And every son of '9 1 will in the chorus be.
Sabrma, according to the '91 men,
seemed to like their company much
better than that of the class of '90.
This is not printed as authentic,
however.
'90 and '92 made many attempts '93
to recapture Sabrina, but to no (1899-1891)
avail. The '91 men proved ardent
and capable guardians and, " in
the fall of 1 889 she was handed
to the then Freshman class of '93,
who kept her during the fall and
winter in the same barn in Hatfield,
at the home of Wells, '91. In
February of 1 890, Sabrina was
taken by wagon at midnight from
Hatfield to Northampton, and from
there shipped to Springfield, where
63
she was present at the '93 Freshman
class supper. During this year she
was under the direct charge of
Schauffler, then president of the
class, who kept her under a haymow
in a barn at Claremont, New
Hampshire. Later she was given
into the charge of the Class Execu-
tive Committee."
Plans were then made by '93
for a Sophomore banquet in Boston,
in June, 1891. "For about a
year prior to this time, Sabrina
had been kept in a deposit ware-
house in Springfield, Mass. The
duty of taking Sabrina from Spring-
field to the class dinner in Boston
was entrusted to a committee. By
lot it was arranged that James
Breed should take the statue to
Boston, and that E. R. Houghton
should bring her back to Spring-
field, and see that she was again
64
placed in the warehouse. Breed at-
tended to the boxing and taking
of the statue to Boston, and accom-
panied her in the express car,
the box having been addressed to
him at Boston." Sabrina appeared
safe and sound at the banquet, and
was duly toasted, cheered, and
kissed. In the light of subsequent
happenings and the vociferous dis-
approval of Sabrina by all present-
day odd classmen, the following
selection from the '93 Olio, pub-
lished before she was stolen, is
interesting as a proof that it is all
a question of whether one is on
the inside looking out or the outside
looking in. At any rate, Sabrina
was well loved by '93, their dinner
was a great success, and this is what
they said:
" Shall we, who at that time
looked upon our ' fostering divinity,'
65
ever forget her as she sat at the
head of the table, surrounded with
beautiful flowers? Can we fully
realize what an odd and capricious
fate has been hers? What con-
trasts of life her homes have af-
forded! From the unbroken still-
ness of the haymow, and the damp
silence of the cellar, she has been
placed among rushing waters at
the bottom of the Connecticut, and
again carried over the land, in
the dead of night, by the swift
locomotivej She has seen the ter-
rors of the dark forest contrasted
with the gay lighted table, the
feast and the songs! But through
all these vicissitudes she has re-
mained and will remain, let us
hope, through more tranquil years,
' our fostering divinity, Sabrina.' '
After this banquet in Boston,
which was at the old Tremont
66
House, Hough ton " took charge of
the statue, rubbed out the address
' Boston ' and inserted ' Springfield '
in its place." Then he reshipped
it by the American Express Co. to
Springfield, but did not personally
accompany the statue, planning in-
stead to go to that city by way of
Amherst the next day to see to
removing it to a place of conceal-
ment. Meanwhile, things had been
happening in Amherst, and this is
why Houghton found no Sabrina
waiting for him the next day in
Springfield.
The class of '94 was now in its '94
Freshman year. It was an energetic (1891-1894)
class and had determined to capture
Sabrina. A committee was ap-
pointed and charged with the duty
of rescuing her from '93, the then
Sophomore class. Nothing was
67
known of her until one day late in the
spring President Wood of '94
learned through his well organized
system of scouts that the banquet
was being held in the Tremont
House at Boston. Several other
men of '94, who were intensely
interested in the subject, as soon
as they heard of the banquet, formed
a pool and sent Ben Hyde well
financed, to Boston, with the sole
instruction to get Sabrina. " Hyde
went to Boston and found that the
'93 men had really been at the
Tremont House the night before.
By a judicious use of gold he suc-
ceeded in extracting from the head
porter of the hotel the fact that a
large box had been shipped that
morning to Springfield in the name
of E. R. Houghton. Hyde took
the first train to Springfield, walked
into the American Express Office,
68
apparently in a terrible hurry, and
asked if a large case had been
received from Boston, addressed to
E. R. Houghton. The clerk an-
swered in the affirmative and said
it was in the back room. If you
have ever sat in a little game with
four spades and one heart, you will
appreciate that Hyde had to think
quickly and put up a good bluff
if he was to win. He put up the
bluff and it went." He asked the
clerk if he had not received his
telegram to ship the box immedi-
ately back to Boston. The clerk
said he had not, but that the head
clerk was out and he would look
through the files. Hyde realized
his chance and pursued the fellow
relentlessly, telling him he must
have received the telegram, and
that it was a matter of serious con-
sequence to all concerned to have
69
delayed the return of the box. By
this time Hyde had the poor clerk
pretty well scared, and since of
course no telegram could be found,
Hyde gave a dramatic oath, and
demanded when the next train went
to Boston. The clerk hurriedly
looked at his watch. By good
luck there was one going in fifteen
minutes. Hyde demanded if he
could get it on that train for him.
An empty express wagon was stand-
ing at the door, and Hyde gave
the man a dollar to take the box
at once to the train. Ben Hyde
then signed a receipt in his own
name, the frightened clerk not notic-
ing that it was not the name to
which the box had been addressed.
In ten minutes the statue was on
the train, bound for Boston again.
On the way, Hyde decided upon
his subsequent plan of action. At
70
Worcester he sent a telegram to an
old colored fellow in his father's
employ in Boston, to meet him at
the train with a wagon, and to say
nothing to any one of the instructions.
Hyde had known this old servant
for a long time and was confident
that he could be trusted; in many
ways too he was an extremely
valuable man, for he knew Boston
thoroughly. The darky met him
at the station and the two drove
away with the box. Hardly had
they taken it from the train, when
the news leaked out, and for a
few days there was the liveliest
kind of a time keeping ahead of the
detectives. It was not quite so
simple as one might think to conceal
a box of that size. The old darky,
however, proved invaluable. He
knew lots of hiding places in and
out of Boston; so Hyde told him
71
the whole story and promised him
a big sum of money if he would
move the box every day and make
sure that the detectives did not
get hold of it. The old man liked
the proposition; perhaps it roused
his fighting blood. At any rate,
he fulfilled his duties to the letter.
First he hid the statue in an old
blacksmith's shop in Cambridge.
Two days later he moved it to the
cellar of a colored Poker Club.
Then Sabrina spent a couple of
days hidden among the wharves of
the big city, labelled " machinery."
From the wharves, the darky took
the box to the cellar of an old house
in the South End of Boston.
Meanwhile, Hyde had returned
to Amherst, only to find that the
Express Company had a warrant
out for his arrest, and that '93 had
raised a sum of money to finance a .
72
search for Sabrina. Hyde quickly
disappeared, supposedly to Boston;
but in reality he went to New York
and jumped on a steamer bound
for Europe, just as it was leaving
the dock, and spent the next two
or three months abroad waiting
for the excitement to die out. Only
two men of '94 knew until his
return where he had gone.
The '93 Committee had urged
the Express Company to get out
the warrant for Hyde's arrest, and
they and the detectives were only
twenty-four hours behind him in
their search. As soon as Hyde
had slipped through their fingers,
they turned all their attention to
finding the statue. The Express
Company traced it to the darky
in Hyde's father's office. Detec-
tives appeared one day in that
office and threatened the old servant
73
with immediate arrest. The latter,
however, had not been around a
law office all his life for nothing.
He was pretty sure that they had
only a suspicion at the most, so he
denied everything and paid no at-
tention to their threats. After the
detectives had left, he went to one
of the members of the firm for reas-
surance and told him the whole
story. This member promised
secrecy and advised the darky to
bluff it out, and ask them for the
warrant if they ever tried to arrest
him. The old fellow found they
had no warrant for him, so he
remained firm to his word to Hyde.
The rest of the '94 Committee were
soon in touch with him with some
more money, and thus clinched
things.
Naturally Hyde's father looked
into the matter a little, and found
74
that the statue had been received
as stolen property by '93 and that
it had been taken from Amherst
College by the class of '90. Hyde
Sr., being at that time a trustee
of the college, went to one of the
officials of the Express Company,
with whom he was well acquainted,
and told him the circumstances,
showing that the Express Company
had no reason to prosecute the mat-
ter until Amherst College should
request them to do so. For the
statue was the property of the college
and the class of '93 had no claim
on it whatever. Accordingly the
matter was dropped by the Express
Company, and '93 was left to fight
out the battle alone.
Upon hearing that the affair had
been settled so far as the legal side
was concerned, Ben Hyde returned
from Europe and was fittingly wel-
75
corned by the men of his class, in
recognition of his services to the
good cause. Thus to these old
Amherst men of '94 are all present-
day Sabrina men indebted for that
inestimable privilege of their college
life.
After Hyde's return, the colored
guardian pro tem.was duly rewarded,
and the statue was officially turned
over to the President of '94, " Doc "
Stone. " A committee proceeded
at once to lay plans for a Sophomore
banquet at which Sabrina should
be present. A difficulty to contend
with of course was not only the
activity of '93 but the chance that
that class might induce the Express
Company to again take legal proceed-
ings in order to repossess themselves of
the statue, if its location was once dis-
covered. For this reason much time
was spent by the committee in
76
THE '94 PICTURE OF SABRINA
selecting a proper place for the
dinner, and great precautions were
taken in order to secure the arrival
of the class at the point agreed upon
without notice to the others in
Amherst. After making personal
inspection of many places, it was
finally decided that Brattleboro, Ver-
mont, was a suitable place; this
both because it was near two state
lines, so that if '94 came into con-
flict with the authorities a rapid
change of jurisdiction could be ef-
fected, and also because the train
schedule at that time rendered pur-
suit after seven or eight o'clock in
the evening practically impossible;
besides, the committee had been
able to perfect a plan for removing
Sabrina from Brattleboro in a fairly
safe way.
The class was listed in small sec-
tions, and each member of the
77
committee took charge of a section.
On the night agreed upon for the
banquet, each of these sections was
informed about an hour before the
time for departure that a special
train would be found waiting on the
New London and Northern R. R.,
between the hat factories. The
entire class reached the station with-
out exciting suspicion. The lights
were all out on the train as it slowly
moved into the station and took on
its excited passengers." Ned Burn-
ham had written a song which we
all know as " All Hail, Sabrina
Dear!" and '94 sang that song all
the way up to the banquet. Many
a peaceful hamlet was gently aroused
by the soft strains floating out on the
still night air,
All hail! Sabrina dear,
The Widow of each passing year;
Long may she live and be
The Widow of posterity.
78
The class arrived at the Brooks House
in Brattleboro at about ten o'clock in
the evening, and no notice or alarm
had yet been given in Amherst.
For some time prior to the
banquet, "Doc" Stone, then guard-
ian of Sabrina, now Dean-elect of
Columbia Law School, and Ben
Hyde, now a very prominent lawyer
in Boston, had scoured the country
in the vicinity of Brattleboro with
a view to securing a proper place
in which to hide Sabrina. Mean-
while, through the assistance of
E. B. Smith, a '94 man whose
home was in Brattleboro, arrange-
ments had been made whereby
Hyde shipped Sabrina to a certain
groceryman in Brattleboro, known
to Smith, who received her in a
carload of miscellaneous groceries
and placed her in the sub-cellar
of his store in that village. " Pre-
79
viously, Hyde and Stone had made
arrangements with Hermon C. Har-
vey, a well-known citizen of Ches-
terfield, New Hampshire, living
about eight miles from Brattleboro
just over the state line, to have
Sabrina secreted under the floor of
his barn. Mr. Harvey possessed
a large farm near the main high-
way running through Brattleboro to
Chesterfield, and one of his barns
practically opened upon the highway.
Stone arranged with him to take up
the floor of his barn on the night of
the banquet and dig a hole for the re-
ception and concealment of Sabrina.
On the afternoon of the day of
the banquet, through the aid of
Smith, these two men hired a pair
of horses by the hour, and no
questions were asked. In the evening
after making the necessary arrange-
ments with the groceryman, Stone
80
drove to his store and with the aid
of Smith loaded Sabrina into the
wagon, and took her to the rear
entrance of the Brooks House. He
unloaded the statue alone, and finally
succeeded in carrying it into a
small room adjoining the banquet
hall. A few minutes later the class
arrived in a body by the special train
from Amherst. Sabrina was then
unboxed, and formally introduced
to the class of '94 amid thunderous
applause and the ringing cheers of
the banqueters. It was a long time
ere the excitement died out, the
enthusiasm lasted all through the
evening, with songs, toasts and
cheers. After each '94 man had
warmly embraced Sabrina and
kissed her rosy lips, she was loaded
into the wagon again, and ac-
companied by Hyde, Howe and
Smith, Stone drove over the hills
81
to Mr. Harvey's barn. The night
was extremely dark and as there
were no lights the team had some
narrow escapes before reaching its
destination. On the way out of
Brattleboro, a rear guard of the
football men was left at various
points in order to prevent pursuit."
On arriving at the barn, Stone
and Hyde found everything left
in readiness by Mr. Harvey. Not
knowing, however, the exact dimen-
sions of the box, he had not dug the
hole large enough, and they found
that they could not store her under
the floor in the box. Consequently
they were obliged to remove Sa-
brina from the box, leaving her under
the barn floor, covered with hay
and chaff. The men replaced the
boards as best they could and
returned across the state line to
Brattleboro, with the empty box.
82
When they reached the Connecticut
River, they effaced the marks on
the box and threw it into the river.
The two men then proceeded to
Brattleboro, just as dawn was break-
ing, and returned with their class-
mates on the special train to Am-
herst.
'94 reached Amherst about seven
o'clock, having been away a total
of nine hours. They had stolen
off so quietly that the college knew
nothing of their absence. As the
'93 and '95 men came to breakfast
that morning, the Sophomores told
them glowing stories of the banquet.
The odd classmen were inclined to
be skeptical and would not believe
until they saw the accounts in the
papers. Then the fact that several
men had missed their room-mates
sufficed to convince the doubters
that '94 had really had its banquet
and had seen Sabrina.
83
During the next few days, there
were many rumors of detective work
done in Brattleboro and vicinity,
but those in charge felt certain that
they had covered their tracks so
effectively that there could be no
danger of discovery.
Early in the following fall, how-
ever, some excitement was caused
by a stranger who met Hyde at an
athletic meet in Springfield. The
stranger claimed he knew where
Sabrina was hidden. Stone was in
Amherst that day and Hyde tele-
graphed him at once. Stone dis-
creetly declined, however, to move
or show any interest, and the '93
bluff failed. They had had detec-
tives watching Stone and if they
could scare him into going to
Sabrina's hiding place to make cer-
tain of her safety, all the detectives
would have had to do would have
84
been to follow Stone. Later in the
fall, however, about Thanksgiving
time, Stone did slip up to Chester-
field again, had a box made, and
packed Sabrina for shipment. He
had her carried over to Hinsdale and
from there shipped by freight to
Ben Hyde in Boston, under a ficti-
tious name. '94 then took up plans
to turn Sabrina over to '96, at the
latter's Freshman banquet. At the
last moment, however; it was decided
that the risk was too great, and the
actual transfer was not made until
the Sophomore banquet of '96.
' The class of '96 was in- '96
troduced to the service of the gracious (1893-1895)
Queen Sabrina immediately upon
entering college in the fall of 1892.
It was then being openly avowed
that the concerted efforts of the
odd classes, alumni as well as
85
student body, would spare neither
money nor effort to capture the
statue and prevent it from descending
from '94 to '96. The latter were
told that stern Fate and even the
Faculty were against them. Had
not the class of '94 by clandestine
courtship taken the Queen from the
suitors of '93, thereby shocking the
Faculty, outraging the business con-
ventions of an Express Company,
even breaking the iron laws of the
old Commonwealth of Massachu-
setts? Had not a prize been offered
for the capture of the eloping Queen,
and dire punishment threatened her
suitor, if caught and convicted?
Had not ' Old Doc,' amid the
vociferations of '94, in the gymnasi-
um, pounded more vigorously and
shouted more lustily, 'Gentlemen,
gentlemen, I must be obeyed. I
love you, but I must be obeyed'?
86
Had not the Jove-like Faculty, with
a sense of scandalized propriety
that a college sport should be car-
ried to the infraction of laws, put
on its specs in search of a possible
victim? The atmosphere was
charged with rumors subsequent to
the report that Sabrina was really
in the hands of '94, that they had
stolen her from an express company
and had had her at their banquet.
Such was the atmosphere through
which '96 tried to see its way to
its Freshman banquet.
'96, however, did have its supper.
It was in February, 1893, at the
Mansion House, Greenfield, Mass.
So exciting was this event that
later '96 men were almost denied
the benefit of a college education.
Of course, it was never seriously
expected that, as Freshmen, they
would have Sabrina so near Old
87
Amherst. But no chances were
taken. Arrangements were being
made for a special train on the
Vermont Central, to be boarded at
the crossing one mile north of the
Amherst Station. So far the plans
worked like a charm, but as the
special slowed up for the embarka-
tion, a whoop like that of maddened
savages issued from the car. The
entire class of '95 and many '93
men had preceded '94 as uninvited
guests. In some mysterious way
they had discovered the time at
which the class was to leave town.
Fortunately, no one knew where
the supper was to be. A whispered
suggestion that the guests must be
prevented from going to Brattleboro
had the right psychological effect.
At Millers Falls '96 was ordered
off the train and '95 and '93 were
formally challenged to wage combat.
88
' No, no,' cried they, thinking
this was a '96 ruse to get them off
the train. Immediately upon their
exultant refusal, a number of '96
men seized and held the doors,
while the train was ordered forward
at full speed, and all the unwelcome
guests were carried out of the way.
The odd classmen had been thor-
oughly outwitted. The real destina-
tion of '96, of course, was Green-
field, but the scare had been too
great to risk bringing Sabrina into
that region, so Stone, '94, did not
take her to the banquet. He re-
turned her immediately to Boston.
'96 had a successful banquet
otherwise, however. In fact the suc-
cess of having outwitted '95 was too
much for some of the fellows. Green-
field was painted the proverbial red.
The next morning, President Gates
summoned the leaders of '96 to his
89
official sanctum, where sat the sheriff
of Greenfield, who submitted to the
class, bills which ran as follows :
To one spectacle sign, $10.00
To one barber pole, 5.00
To photographer's showcase, 25.00
To doorplates, bearing the
words 'private,* etc., each 3.00
To napkins, 35.00
To tea spoons, 50.00
The reputation of the class would
certainly have been ruined had not
opportunity been given for a guarded
return of the pilfered prizes to the
van wagon which toted the relics
back to Greenfield.
Next year, however, during the
Winter Term, came the great event,
when as Sophomores '96 dined
at Nassau, New Hampshire. By
special train again, in which were
involved high officials of the railway,
who entered into the sport from
90
President down to Trainmen, the
entire class, this time without un-
invited guests, assembled like bandits
outside the jurisdiction of Old Massa-
chusetts." The ride to Nassau was
a most hilarious one, with singing
and cheers. The men of '95 had
no suspicion, in fact they did not
know of the banquet until Chapel
the next morning.
To preside at this feast, Sabrina
had been awakened from her long
nap in a sausage factory in Boston,
where Hyde had stored her. Prop-
erly to travel incognito, thereby
avoiding the vigilance of express
offices, she went from Boston to
Nassau under the name of " Photo-
graphic Supplies. Handle with
Care." She was brought to the
banquet by Stone, '94, and there
formally turned over to '96. Charles
J. Staples, now a very prominent
91
lawyer of Buffalo, was the recipient
guardian. " She was given a most
enthusiastic reception and occupied
the seat of honor at the table. After
Sabrina had been hugged and ca-
ressed and fittingly toasted, she disap-
peared in the arms of the football
men of '96, and by devious routes
and frequent changes was cautiously
taken across the state line into
Vermont, and there locked away
from the next day's light in a granary.
To add to the pleasure and by
way of a ruse, the new guardian,
Staples, had the box in which she
had travelled from the packing
house in Boston to Nassau packed
with rubbish and shipped under
guard from Nassau to Connecticut,
with all the care that might have at-
tended the real Queen. By the great
daring and cunning of *95, joined
with the intentional negligence of
92
'96, this box labelled 'Photographic
Supplies. Handle with Care,' fell
into the odd classmen's hands.
Great was the rejoicing among them
until the box was opened, when,
behold, instead of Sabrina, they
found a lot of iron scrap lodged in
some bad straw. '95 never fully
recovered from this disappointment,
and it was a source of considerable
amusement for '96. The next night,
after the celebration, Staples took
Sabrina with great care from the
granary and placed her in a deep
cistern in the attic of a house
in Brandon, Vermont." Nothing
could touch her there, Staples felt
sure.
Imagine the feelings of Sta-
ples, however, when, attending a
society function at Smith College
one evening, he heard a certain
Smith College Sophomore say in
93
the presence of himself and some
'95 men, " Oh, I know all about
Sabrina and where she is," and
then Staples heard this same young
lady, when asked for information,
say, " Why Sabrina is in a certain
house in Brandon, Vermont, in a
cistern in the attic."- -"Great Gods!"
thought Staples, pretending not to
hear and making a desperate at-
tempt to control his features, in
order not to attract the attention
of the '95 men present. These latter
were keenly alive to all the girl
said, but made no move to follow
the matter until the evening was
over. Meanwhile, Staples had
made his excuses as best he could,
and " without change from dress
clothes catching the first train north,
appeared the next morning in the
little Vermont town. He secretly
planned to remove the precious
94
charge from that precarious hole.
But how had Sabrina's place of
concealment become known? It is
the usual story. There was only
one other man besides Staples who
knew of her hiding-place, and he
was the most faithful fellow on earth.
But when pinned down under a
fiery cross-examination, these con-
demning facts appeared. The fel-
low who was temporary guardian
of Sabrina on the Nassau trip had
a sweetheart in Boston, who read
the papers, who knew that this young
gentleman was a '9(? Amherst man,
and who in quiet moments had
heard him speak of going to Vermont
and New Hampshire. What more
was necessary for the imaginative
mind of the young lady? She had
talked the matter over in strict
confidence with her good mother,
who in turn was so tremendously
95
interested at the jolly sport of college
boys that she had to tell her most
intimate friend at a tea party in
Boston, which friend, in turn, had
a daughter in Smith College, and
this daughter, on a recent vacation
home, had heard the now rather
amplified story of Sabrina. This
sequence of confidences is what
led to the dramatic climax on that
evening of the social function in
Smith College.
But within twenty-four hours of
this event, the dear Goddess Sa-
brina was beyond the reach of the
rapidly pursuing '95 men. On
the wings of night she flew to western
New York, appearing to be in
great demand as " Special Machin-
ery," and thereafter she was taken
by dray over long country roads
until finally she found a quiet
habitation under lock and key in a
carriage room in a small country
town of Elba, New York. Here
she remained in blissful security
until the class of '98 had so grown
in grace that it in turn could take
the precious charge.
During the Freshman year of the '98
class of '98, '97 was very active < 1895 - 1897 )
in trying to locate Sabrina, especially
through Richard Billings, President
of '97, who spent considerable time,
energy and money in maintaining a
staff of Pinkerton detectives. Conse-
quently no attempt was made by
'96 to transfer Sabrina to '98 during
the latter's Freshman year. '98
had a Freshman banquet at Hart-
ford, but Sabrina was not in attend-
ance. To make up for this, the
enthusiastic Freshmen adopted the
spoons and forks of the hotel as
memorials of the occasion.
97
Samuel B. Furbish, now con-
nected with Bowdoin College, at
Brunswick, Me., was chosen '98
guardian, and upon his being in-
formed that he had been honored
with the custody of Sabrina, "pre-
pared to go to Rotterdam Junction,
New York, to get possession of her.
He had to look around for an
excuse to get out of town, that he
might not excite any suspicion among
the men of '97. It happened that
Furbish had a cousin in Springfield
who was seriously ill, and for three
or four days he took particular
pains to tell of this case to his as-
sociates, that they might suppose
he had gone there if they noted his
absence at all. The night that he
had chosen to leave Amherst, there
happened to be an attractive ' star '
at the Academy of Music in North-
ampton, so Furbish accompanied
98
the crowd as far as that city and
then slipped away to Greenfield.
After spending the night at Eagle
Bridge, New York, he reached
Rotterdam Junction the next morn-
ing and there was met by a gen-
tleman who, after severely cross-
examining Furbish with a series
of prescribed questions, took his
receipt and turned over the very
large packing box which contained
the far-famed Sabrina." That after-
noon Furbish shipped the box to
a mythical manufacturing company
in Bennington, Vermont. For a
time it looked as if there was going
to be trouble, when after trying
three doors of the express car it
was found that the box would not
go in. But fortunately the fourth
door was large enough to let it pass,
and Sabrina arrived without mishap
at Bennington, Furbish going on
'99
the same train. At Bennington the
box was carried to the stable of
the Putnam House and there de-
posited in the hayloft, where it was
unpacked, and the Fair Goddess
again saw the light of day. She
was carried to a small room adjoin-
ing the banquet hall of the hotel
in preparation for the Sophomore
banquet of the class of '98 to be
held there that night.
" Meanwhile, in the evening of
this 14th of November, 1895, the
class walked to North Amherst in
small groups, where they hid in a
ditch in the pouring rain until a
special train picked them up to
take them to Bennington. No out-
breaks of mirth and rejoicing and
no lights were allowed until North
Amherst was a good distance behind.
Then the class let loose, and with
songs and cheers showed their joy at
100
having outwitted '97, and stolen
away without being discovered.
Once arrived at Bennington, the line
of march formed, and rousing the
town with their yells, proceeded to
the Putnam House. In the banquet
hall the officers of the class and
guests of honor sat at the head
table, while immediately opposite
was a richly upholstered divan.
Soon the folding door was opened,
and amidst shouts of applause the
beautiful Sabrina appeared borne
by several faithful representatives of
the gridiron. A toast to her was
then given and following that the
whole class in long line passed
around and she received from each
man a fond caress. Then Sabrina
withdrew, and the class sat down
to a sumptuous banquet.
It was a sleepy, tired, but happy
gang that sought the cars at four
101
o'clock that morning. Cushions
were made into beds and soon
weary men could be seen trying to
sleep, but in vain. Bands of sleep-
less ones roamed up and down
the aisles, shouting and singing.
Day dawned at last, and after a
brief wait at Millers Falls, the
special train sped on to Amherst
and the Chapel, which the class
attended in a body that morning.
They laughed and jeered at their
foiled friends of '97 and '99.
Everyone knew that '98 had been
on its class supper and had seen
Sabrina."
After Sabrina was taken from
the banquet hall, Furbish again
secured her in the box, with all
the hay that could be packed
around her. Arrangements had
been previously made for a team
and baggage wagon to be ready
102
at one o'clock that morning to
take the box across the New
York boundary to the town of
Cambridge, where they arrived in
the early morning, after a sleepy
drive through the rain, and over
some terrible roads. From Cam-
bridge, Furbish shipped the box by
express to Albany, and upon arriv-
ing there, took it to a blacksmith's
shop on a thoroughly deserted street.
He remained there for some hours
to see if any one seemed to be
following on his trail. Everything
was quiet, however, and he took
Sabrina to a warehouse, and left
her there in safe keeping under lock
and key, to remain for the intervening
time until the next guardian should
be installed. This took place the
last of October, 1897, when Fur-
bish went to Albany and after
taking the box from the warehouse
103
turned it over to E. E. Green of
the class of 1 900.
'00 The class of 1900 held its
Sophomore banquet on Monday
evening, November 1, 1897, at
the Hotel Mohican in New London.
" On the preceding Saturday,
Green, '00, had gone to New
London and carefully made arrange-
ments to prevent any possibility of
Sabrina's being captured by the
members of the odd classes. A
trustworthy driver was secured and
a forty-mile drive across the state
planned. Green secured the co-
operation and good-will of the
proprietor of the Hotel Mohican,
so that all would be in readiness
for Monday night. After receiving
Sabrina from Furbish, '98, at Al-
bany, Green immediately shipped
her to New London. He, too, had
104
considerable trouble in getting the
box into the express car, and this
in the rather crowded station at
Albany caused many an anxious
moment for the guardian. A five-
hundred-pound box is not an easy
thing to handle or conceal, and he
feared lest even a chance visitor
might discover its presence there.
Sabrina finally reached New Haven
by way of the B. & A. railroad to
Pittsfield, and from there N. Y.,
N. H. & H., to New Haven. Much
to his dismay, Green learned that
the last express for New London had
gone, and this was the afternoon
of the day of the banquet. How-
ever, by the kindness of the express
agent, whose sympathy was gained
by the pitiful story told him of the
urgent need of getting this valuable
4 machine ' in New London that
night, Sabrina was soon again speed-
105
ing on toward her beloved devotees.
Preceding the class by two or three
hours, on his arrival in New London
Green took Sabrina immediately to
the hotel and by the time '00
arrived she was ready to receive
them. As the class was seated
in the banquet hall a delegation
of four retired and returned with
Sabrina. After the usual enthusiasm
and each member of the class had
made his obeisance to the Goddess,
she was escorted from the room
and within an hour again started
on her travels." The forty-mile
ride across the state was one of the
wildest that either Sabrina or her
guardian had ever taken. At just
twelve o'clock, Green started with
a team, the driver being his only
companion. " It was one of the
darkest nights imaginable, with rain
pouring down in torrents, making
106
the roads a sea of mud. Every
sound was intensified in the darkness
and many times Green felt certain
that there were followers on the
trail. As the hours passed the
strain from excitement began to tell
and was keenly felt. Blacker and
blacker seemed to grow the dark-
ness, and a dense fog seemed to
settle down along with the rain.
And it was only by the sense of
feeling that either Green or the
driver knew whether the team was
in the road or in the ditch. After
travelling about three hours in this
way, something broke and the wagon
lurched to one side. Upon examina-
tion with a lantern, they found
that one of the bolts holding the
pole to the axle had broken. This
looked discouraging, as the roads
had been through dense woods
without a sign of habitation for
107
many miles, and the place where
the relay of horses was waiting was
fully a mile ahead, with a long,
steep hill intervening." The break
was repaired as well as was possible
in the darkness by rope and parts
of the harness, and once more they
began their weary journey, just as
the light of day was breaking in the
east. The barn where fresh horses
were waiting was reached, but the
driver refused to proceed until the
break in the wagon had been
repaired. Green was unable to per-
suade him, so had to wait for a
blacksmith to open up his shop.
This meant a three hours' delay,
which meant the missing of the
proposed railroad connection and
a greater possibility of discovery,
should it happen that any one was
following Green.
There was no sleep possible under
108
such a strain, but the haymow
offered a most inviting place to pass
the time. Here Green and the
driver rested until six o'clock, when
they aroused a blacksmith and re-
paired the wagon. Within an hour
Sabrina was again speeding on her
way and they reached the station
just in time for the train. The
journey to Albany was uneventful
and Green, on reaching there, again
hid Sabrina in the warehouse where
she had formerly been. There the
Goddess remained in quiet soli-
tude until handed over to the class
of '02, in the spring of their Sopho-
more year.
When Green returned to Amherst,
he found his classmates most dis-
turbed over a report which appeared
in the New London paper stating
that on the night that Sabrina was
taken from New London she was
109
followed by the class of '99, who
saw her guardian take the God-
dess to a certain lake and placing
her on a raft go out into the lake
and drown her. It was claimed
that she had been removed from
her watery grave by the members
of '99, after the guardian had
returned to Amherst. This is but
one example of the fertile imagina-
tion of many reporters who try
to tell of the wanderings of our
Goddess. It was true, however,
that the day after the banquet
members of '99 were in New
London and offered big sums of
money for any information regarding
the hiding-place of Sabrina or the
route of her escape.
'02 Sabrina came into the possession
(1889-1902) of the class of 1902 early in the
spring of 1899. At that time she
HO
SABRINA ON ROOF OF KIBBE FACTORY
was still in storage at Albany.
Robert Cleeland, '02, was selected
guardian for his class. He re-
ceived her from Green, '00, at
Albany, and intended to ship her
to Springfield. The case which
held Sabrina was in bad repair,
however, and so bulky that only
the largest of car doors would
admit it. He therefore had a more
compact case built, and also had
an arm of the statue repaired,
which had been badly broken.
This work was done by an artisan
in West Albany. At length Sabrina
was ready for shipment to Spring-
field, where she was stored in the
factory of Kibbe Brothers, on Har-
rison Avenue. On the train coming
from Albany, Sabrina had an escort
of about a dozen fellows, both odd
and even classes, returning from
Easter vacation, entirely unaware,
however, of the honor being done
them in being allowed to ride on the
same train with the Goddess.
1902 had planned to hold its
Freshman banquet at the Hotel
Wellington, North Adams, Massa-
chusetts, and Cleeland had com-
pleted final arrangements for trans-
porting Sabrina to that place when
a telegram apprised him that the
plans for the banquet had been
discovered by the odd classmen.
Cleeland immediately cancelled all
arrangements and returned to Am-
herst.
The banquet was finally held in
June, 1899, at The Worthy, in
Springfield, Massachusetts. This
was a somewhat risky undertaking
on account of the proximity of
Springfield to Amherst. It was very
convenient, however, for Cleeland to
take Sabrina from the Kibbe factory
112
to the hotel, only a few blocks away,
and return her without exciting any
suspicion at all. The banquet went
off in good shape and after Sabrina
was duly cheered and kissed by all
the men present, she was returned
to the top floor of the Kibbe factory,
having been away from her hiding
place less than an hour. There she
remained quietly until she was
turned over to the class of I 904.
Donald Bartlett, '04, was origi- '04
nally appointed guardian for his ( J902 - 1904 )
class. For some reason or other
suspicion seemed to center in the
minds of the odd classmen upon
Bartlett as the possible guardian, and
some of their men, especially those
in Bartlett's fraternity, watched him
night and day. So, perforce, Haw-
kins, then President of '04, told
Bartlett that he would be unable
113
to serve as guardian, and shortly
before the time of the '04 banquet
Joseph B. Eastman was appointed
guardian.
The day before the class ban-
quet, in New London, Connecticut,
which was held May 4, 1902,
" Eastman left Amherst on the plea
that his uncle had just died and that
he was going to attend his funeral.
He went down to Springfield, stay-
ing over night at the Massasoit
House under an assumed name.
Next day he met Cleeland, '02, and
had Sabrina taken from the factory
to the train and expressed to New
Haven. Eastman accompanied her
on the same train, saw her unloaded
at New Haven and re-expressed
to New London. In the station
at New Haven, Eastman met a
classmate of his and had considerable
difficulty in explaining to him his
114
presence there at that time. He,
however, told some lie to satisfy
the man and managed to catch the
same train with Sabrina to New
London. There he had the box
taken by a local expressman to the
hotel where the banquet was to
be held.
The proprietor of the hotel was
the only one who knew what was
up, and he told the expressman
some lie about the contents of the
box. It was hauled up to the
second story of the hotel by a
block and tackle in the rear, where
they sometimes handled heavy bag-
gage. She was then placed in a
room immediately adjoining the ban-
quet and there waited for the class
to arrive. Just before the banquet,
the box was unpacked and Sabrina
was placed upon a table in this
adjoining room. After the banquet
115
was in session, all the class filed in
one by one and kissed her chaste
lips, vowing eternal allegiance. She
was then packed up again and taken
in a light spring wagon from the
hotel, having been let down by
means of the block and tackle which
had taken her up. With a good
team of horses she was quickly carted
to the pier of the Norwich Line,
where she was loaded on board
the boat for New York. Eastman
went along with her and immediately
on arrival in New York City had
her taken to a storehouse on West
Street, where he left her under an
assumed name."
Just before Sabrina was to be
turned over to the class of 1906,
Eastman was elected President of
'04, and so gave the care of Sabrina
to Hawkins, whom he had succeeded.
116
Sabrina passed into the hands '06
of '06 at their Sophomore banquet, < 1904 - 1906 )
held in the Murray Hill Hotel,
in New York City. Ralph W.
Wheeler, '06, was chosen guardian.
He was at Hartford with the base-
ball team two days before the ban-
quet, which was held on May 9th,
1904, and under the pretext of
going to stay with a relative, Wheeler
left the team without creating sus-
picion and reached New York City
that evening. The next morning,
which was Sunday, Wheeler met
Hawkins, *04, who took him to the
basement of the Murray Hill Hotel
and showed him among the stacks
of trunks, a large box which he said
contained the famous Sabrina. The
box had been there since the after-
noon of the day before.
Monday, May 9th, about noon,
the class of '06 with numerous
117
other even classmen arrived at the
hotel and shortly after were as-
sembled in one of the parlors to
view and kiss the Goddess. The
ceremony over, she was repacked
by Hawkins and Eastman, '04, and
taken to the basement of the hotel
where she was officially turned over
to Wheeler as guardian, who hur-
ried her away from the hotel before
there could be any chance of trouble
from odd classmen. She was
loaded into a dray and carried
through the city. Wheeler followed
not far behind and soon got into
trouble. No one had seen an odd
classman, but the streets were full
of men of his own class and he had
to stop to talk with them (because
it is essential for a guardian to
conceal his identity even from
the members of his own class),
and Wheeler found it difficult to
118
explain why he was in such a hurry.
Meanwhile, the boxed Sabrina,
looming up like a mountain as it
seemed to him, was passing on down
the street in plain view of all, and
he had to follow on. The trip,
however, was at last accomplished,
and Sabrina was taken to the
northern part of Manhattan and
there hidden in the second story
of a machine shop, where Wheeler
left her until she was to be turned
over to '08.
The Sophomore banquet of the '08
class of 1908 was held at the Hotel
Astor in New York City on March
19th, 1906; and there Sabrina was
given into the charge of Fayette F.
Read, guardian for '08. After the
usual ceremonies, Sabrina left the
jovial circle of '08 banqueters and,
under the charge of Read, was
119
carted to a Fifth Avenue warehouse,
where she was to be left for a week.
Read, having returned to Amherst,
sent an order to the warehouse to
have the box forwarded. In a few
days he received a letter from the
company asking him to come im-
mediately to New York and see the
contents of his box. The letter said,
' There is nothing in it but a battered
old statue which seems badly used,"
and refused to ship it until Read had
seen it. Consequently he took the
midnight train for New York, filled
with apprehension, and was vastly
relieved the next morning to see
Sabrma's smiling face the same as
ever. Truly she did look a little
misused, and to an outsider the
intrinsic value of the statue would
seem to be almost nil. When it is
remembered how many wild ad-
ventures the statue has been through,
120
it is remarkable that anything is
left at all. A brief explanation
served to satisfy the warehouse
people, and after a new case had
been made for her to travel in,
Read had her expressed to Holyoke,
Massachusetts, and immediately
upon her arrival took her in a big
wagon up the river road and hid her
under his brother's log cabin, " The
Pines," facing on the river, where
she was left until the Sophomore
banquet of the class of 1910.
On March 4th, 1908, Read, '08, '10
turned Sabrina over to the class (1908-1910)
of 1 9 1 at their Sophomore banquet,
held at the Hotel Astor, New York
City, Max Shoop acting as guardian
for ' 1 0. Sabrina in all her glory
was kissed and toasted by the
banqueters with more than usual
fervor. She was then quickly taken
121
out into the darkness and eventu-
ally to the little cabin on the Connec-
ticut River, north of Holyoke, where
she remained until the spring of
1909.
The class of 1910, as represented
by Fink, President, and the ap-
pointed guardian, decided to stir
up a little excitement by bringing
Sabrina into Amherst and showing
her to the public at the Williams
game, during the 1910 Junior Prom
week. This was in May, 1909.
Every detail was carefully worked
out and every possible emergency
prepared for. The week before
the Prom, Hal Greene, '12, brought
his big seven seater Royal Tourist
up to College and rode around with
Juniors and Freshmen so that the
machine might not, on the appointed
day, excite too much suspicion. On
Monday night, May 24th, at about
122
midnight, the Royal Tourist, with
Fink, Francis, Henry and Shoop,
* 1 0, and Corwin and Greene, ' 1 2,
with the latter at the wheel, sped
rapidly down the river road to
Read's cottage and brought Sabrina,
covered with burlap, back into
Amherst about two o'clock in the
morning. The town was quiet, and
no one saw the big machine as it
passed noiselessly down Pleasant
Street to the home of John Henry,
' 1 0, on North Pleasant Street. Here,
with bated breath, the men tenderly
carried Sabrina into the cellar of the
house and left her in an out-of-the-
way corner until the next day.
That afternoon, which was Tues-
day, word was passed round to all
the Juniors, that is, the class of 1910,
to leave quietly that night after
fraternity meetings and come by
twos or threes to Henry's barn.
123
No further information was given
except that nothing was to be said
to any other persons whatsoever'
About ten o'clock that night the
above-mentioned men gathered in
Henry's cellar and after careful
consultation over all details carried
Sabnna into the adjoining barn.
At 10.30 that night, the class of
1910 gathered by candle light in
this little barn on North Pleasant
Street and gazed on the radiant
form of Sabnna while a " flash-
light " was taken. Then in awed
silence every man in turn kissed
the Goddess and passed quietly
out into the darkness, with a parting
injunction from the guardian to say
absolutely nothing to other people
of the night's doings until Sabrina
was at a safe distance. It had been
a complete surprise to practically
the entire class, and the suppressed
124
whispers and pleased, anxious faces
showed that they realized their
privilege in the fact that Sabrina had
not been in Amherst for fifteen years.
When all had gone, the sextette
above mentioned, trembling from
fear lest the odd classmen might
discover Sabrina's presence before
they got away, made all haste to
get Sabrina into the tonneau of the
big Royal Tourist and take her
quickly from Henry's barn to the cel-
lar of the home of Mr. Toole, a
farmer living way out on the North
Road, on the way to Sunderland.
There Sabrina was left until the next
day at noon. This was Wednes-
day, the day of the Prom Game
with Williams. By two o'clock
the college had marched in proces-
sion behind the band to Pratt Field
and as soon as the coast was clear
the big machine, this time containing
125
Francis, Fink, and Shoop, '10, and
Madden, Corwin, and Greene, '12,
stole from the precincts of the town
of Amherst to the farmhouse on the
North Road. Sabrina was care-
fully placed in the tonneau and the
stunt of lifting her high in the air
while the machine was going at a
good speed was practised on the
way in. A supply of clubs lay
in the bottom of the car, ready for
instant defense, and the machine
started for Amherst.
Every detail had been arranged
for at the field. Two parties of men
were detailed to watch each gate,
the plan being to run Sabrina onto
the field and off again during one
of the innings of the game. One
man was detailed to smash the
telephone in the grand-stand. Two
others were detailed to follow the
machine in motor cycles as it left the
126
SABRINA JUST BEFORE HER APPEARANCE ON PRATT FIELD
field, and to head off possible
pursuers. Two others were in-
structed to put all odd classmen's
motor cycles out of business, and
a number of others were told to
tackle any of the crowd that might
make a quick start to head off the
machine. Each man had been told
that the machine would swing in
on the field at exactly 4.05, im-
mediately after the Northampton
car had gone out. Avery, ' 1 0, was
to have a second machine just outside
the fence to follow in the wake of the
big car, to block pursuit or to carry
the statue if anything should happen
to the Royal Tourist. New locks
and chains were secured with which
to fasten the gates after the machine
had left the field, to hinder possible
pursuit by other autos. At the
under-pass on Northampton Road
127
preparations had been made to
block the road if necessary.
At the appointed hour everything
at the field was in readiness, and the
men in their positions. At exactly
4 p.m., the big machine, with
Sabnna covered with heavy robes
in the tonneau, drove into town,
down Pleasant Street and around
the Common, daringly exultant over
the secret it held. As soon as the
Hamp car had left, the Royal
Tourist ran down Amity Street and
out Lincoln Avenue, and swung into
the " Hamp Road " very near the
field. It was five minutes after
four and the watchers who met the
machine said it was the fifth inning
with Amherst in the field. This
was the most propitious time and
the machine with the six excited men,
their hearts literally in their mouths,
sped onto the field and around the
128
track. This certainly was bearding
the lion in his den. Little did those
intent stands, as they casually noticed
the big machine coming onto the
field, realize its precious burden.
Not even the class of 1910, who
had seen Sabrina the night before,
knew that she was to appear before
them on the field. No suspicions
had yet been aroused, and the
machine quietly took its place along-
side the last of the long line of
autos in front of the tennis courts.
There happened to be some odd
classmen in the next car. They,
however, noticed nothing strange
in the pile of blankets in the tonneau
of the Royal Tourist, and they
waved a merry recognition. Before
Greene found it necessary to stop
his engines to avoid suspicion, a
pop fly closed the inning, and the
big car with Sabrina started with
129
a jump for the diamond and bore
down the second base line at
about thirty miles an hour before
the astounded multitude. The
baseball men rapidly fell away
from in front of the machine. Abso-
lute silence reigned, for the people
thought that the occupants of the
machine must be drunk. At the
moment the car passed over the first
base, the men in the back quickly
lifted Sabrina high above their
heads to the gaze of the many
people gathered in the stands. For
a few seconds nothing broke the
stillness but the chug chug of the
two motor bikes which, according
to instructions, shot out from near
the bleachers and followed the
receding car in which Sabrina was
still raised exultingly on high. After
a moment's dazed paralysis a wild
cheer broke from the many Sabrina
130
men in the stands and a strenuous
time ensued as some of the odd
classmen tried to follow the machine,
and some of them with motor bikes
were swearing because they could
not get them to go. Every man in
the scheme had done his duty
faithfully, and as the gates were
quickly shut and locked after the
flying car, pursuit was practically
useless. It was some time before
the game was resumed, but when
it was Amherst took hold with
such a will that McClure, our
Sabrina pitcher, won a no-hit 2 to
victory over Williams. It was a
big day all around.
Meanwhile, the Royal Tourist
had disappeared down the Hamp
hill at sixty miles an hour, with
Avery's car following in the rear,
and Bedford and Ladd on motor
bikes following in a whirl of dust.
131
At the crossroads in Hadley the
machine stopped for a moment, the
occupants finding that they were
not pursued, and Avery's car was
instructed to proceed on over to
" Hamp " to throw off suspicion,
while Bedford and Ladd rode back
to Amherst. The men guarding Sa-
brina proceeded in their machine
on down the river road and secreted
Sabrina in the cellar of a jewelry
store on High Street, in Holyoke,
Mass. The affair had been a com-
plete success, and the six men
who had been in the machine all
the time were weak with the ner-
vous excitement of that thrilling
hour. Pursuit had been very scat-
tered and proved futile. The odd
classmen had been thrown complete-
ly off the track.
There was just one time on that
eventful day when it looked as if
132
plans were going to be seriously
upset. It seems that Sanderson, a
tradesman in town, lives opposite
Henry's house on Pleasant Street,
and the night before, as he was
sitting on his veranda, he had
noticed the gathering of the class
in Henry's barn and later saw
Sabrina taken away in a machine.
A vivid imagination had led him
next day to say to an Amherst man
who had dropped into his store,
" I hear you are going to have
Sabrina at the game to-day." This
was at 1 .30. As luck would have
it, this Amherst man happened to
be a Junior and a Sabrina man,
and as soon as he left the store
he hunted up one of the men who
had charge of Sabrina and told
him what Sanderson had said.
Filled with alarm, this individual
hastened to Sanderson's store and
133
told him to keep still and say
nothing until after the game at
least. Sanderson acquiesced will-
ingly, and this danger was safely
passed.
134
C[It was some time before the
excitement of that afternoon's episode
died out, though it spent consider-
able of its force in a fight up town
after the game. Only a few days
after this, Fink, President of 1910,
received a letter from the class of
'94 written the day before the
appearance of Sabrina on Pratt
Field, asking if the Juniors could
not bring the Goddess to '94' s
reunion banquet in Amherst at Com-
mencement time. Fink and Shoop
talked it over and believed it rather
a risky proposition on top of the
Prom episode; but realizing the
debt that all Sabrina men owe
to '94 for having secured Sabrina
for them from '93, it was decided to
make a try for it, and if possible
bring Sabrina to their banquet.
All care and secrecy was used in
preparation. The odd classmen
135
were suspicious, however, that some
such thing might take place, and
several of the men in ' 1 0, particularly
the two above mentioned, were
watched all the time. However,
every detail had been arranged for,
and at the appointed time, Monday,
June 28th, two machines, which
had been rented in Springfield, left
the rear of the jewelry store in Hoi-
yoke with Sabrina and the follow-
ing men, Francis, Seligman and
Shoop, ' 1 0, Corwin, Broughton and
Johns, '12. The machines pro-
ceeded up the river road into Had-
ley. Fink had been detailed with
a number of men to remain in
Amherst to keep the coast clear
and see that no excitement was
aroused. They were to watch par-
ticularly Hitchcock Hall, where
the '94 banquet was to be held.
Arrangements had been made for
136
Shoop to call Fink at 7.30, at 8.00
and at 8.25 P. M., at different
points along the line, so that at any
one of these points, if the odd
classmen were gathering for trouble
in Amherst, the machines might
turn and flee immediately with their
precious burden.
The last call was to be made from
the hat factory, by the C. V. R. R.
and then, if the coast was clear,
the machines were to make a dash
for Hitchcock Hall. If between the
last call and the time the machines
reached the hall any trouble arose,
red lights were to be fired by the
men on guard at the banquet, so
that the machines might sail by
without stopping, simply holding
Sabrina to the view of the ban-
queters from the tonneau. If there
was no danger from the odd class-
men, the machines were to stop
137
and Sabrina was to be taken into
the doorway of the banquet room
and a flashlight taken of the scene.
Everything worked as planned. The
7.30 call was made from a small
house in Hadley, and Fink reported
everything quiet. The machines
then came into Amherst by North-
ampton Road, and the East Hadley
Road, and making a long detour
around " D. K. E." Hill, arrived at
the hat factory about 8.20. Shoop
telephoned Fink while the lights
were being lighted on the machines
and everything made ready for the
final dash. At 8.25 Fink reported
everything quiet at the banquet,
though '99 was having its dinner
on the lawn just across the Common
at Davis' Corner. It was decided
to make a dash for it immediately.
Quickly the machines sped up the
oval by Walker Hall and down
138
by Hitchcock Hall. Everything was
quiet and the machines stopped
long enough for Sabrina to be taken
up to the door, and amid tremendous
cheering a flashlight was taken of
her, silhouetted in the doorway.
She was there but an instant, and
then strong arms put Sabrina back
into a machine, and with '94 men
running wildly across the Common
and shouting triumphantly at '99,
as they banqueted totally ignorant
of what was being done under their
very noses, the two machines went
at full speed down South Pleasant
Street and around by Blake Field
and out on Northampton Road
again. Clark and Bedford had
been doing good work on their
motor cycles, and found that the
odd classmen had blockaded the
Northampton Road in front of Chi
Psi with ropes and spiked planks.
139
The machines had hardly left the
'94 banquet when several ' 1 1 men
came running up with spiked planks
to lay in front of the autos, but they
were just a minute too late. The
machines were by this time speeding
fifty miles an hour down Northamp-
ton Road with Sabrina safely
keeping.
in
140
CLComing into Amherst, at the
B. & M. underpass on Northampton
Road, the fellows with Sabrina had
noticed four machines apparently
broken down at that one place, and
in one of these machines were a
couple of odd classmen. It looked
a little suspicious that four machines
should be broken down at the same
time and so close together. But
little was thought of it until, as they
were flying from Amherst, their ma-
chines neared the underpass. The
startled men saw a great light just
over a small rise in front of them.
The thought immediately flashed
into their minds that they had been
trapped and that the odd classmen
had blocked the underpass and built
big bon-fires all around it. In the
excitement, one of the men looked
back and mistook a couple of arc-
lights for a machine following them.
141
The last crossroad had been passed,
so there was nothing to do but
take a chance and go ahead. The
glare was so bright that little could
be distinguished until within less
than a quarter of a mile of the under-
pass, when a light separated itself
from the general glare and ap-
proached in the form of a machine.
The men guarding Sabrina grasped
their clubs, prepared for a general
onslaught, but the approaching
machine passed quietly. It was one
of those that had been broken down.
In quick succession the three other
autos passed in the same way, and
the big glare which had frightened
the men was no more. It was indeed
a remarkable coincidence that those
four machines which had been
broken down at that place should
have all started up at just the time
when the two machines with Sa-
142
brina were returning. The men in
the machines heaved a great sigh of
relief as they shot unmolested through
the underpass. They proceeded on,
turned off at the River Road, and
left Sabrina that night in Holyoke,
in the cellar of the jewelry store
on High Street.
At Amherst, meanwhile, " the
news spread like wildfire, and the
many odd classmen, graduate and
undergraduate, began to plan with
profound thought how they would
capture the Goddess. By midnight
they were riding wildly in automo-
biles throughout the surrounding
country, trying to find Sabrina, but
they found not even a trace of her."
And once more, the even classmen,
cleverly outwitting the men of the
odd classes, had brought Sabrina
before their very eyes and escaped
with her untouched.
143
'12 Sabrina remained in Holyoke in
perfect safety until the Sophomore
banquet of the class of 1912 was held
at the Hotel Astor in New York
City on March 4th, 1910. Shoop,
'10, expressed Sabrina to New
York City, and left her for the night
and day preceding the banquet
in a bank on Fifth Avenue. On
the night of March 4th, Cornell,
Henry, Seligman and Shoop, '10,
secured the services of a cartman and
a private detective, and took Sabrina
about eight o'clock in the evening
from the bank, down into Broadway,
thronged at that time with the usual
theatre crowd. Little did that pleas-
ure-seeking people imagine the ex-
citement in the breasts of those
four Sabrina men as they eagerly
peered from the covered van and
watched for signs of any odd class-
men, as they neared the Astor
144
Hotel. She was quickly taken in
the box to the Roof Garden of the
Astor and unpacked in a room ad-
joining the banquet hall. The four
men, above mentioned, then carried
her in before the eyes of the Sabrina
men there assembled. Amid cheer-
ing and singing of " All hail, Sabrina
dear!" she was given a place of
honor before the speakers' table, and
one by one the men filed by, each
giving her a fond caress, after which
Shoop, the '10 guardian, officially
turned her over to the class of
1912. Sabrina was then taken
from the room followed by all the
'10 men present, who with joined
hands continued singing and danc-
ing around her as she was being
packed in the box, and just before
the last board was screwed down
they each gave her a farewell kiss. It
might be a long time before they
145
would again see Sabrma, who had
grown to mean so much to them
during their four years in college.
They did not stop singing until
Sabrina disappeared in the elevator.
She was soon placed in the express
wagon and taken back to the bank.
There had been no disturbance
whatever by the odd classmen
and the following Monday, Sabrina
was quietly shipped by the 1912
guardian by a series of intermediate
steps to a small fishing town on the
Maine Coast. There she is resting
peacefully as this book goes to press,
but at just this time she is also about
to be wafted away to unknown
regions of this big, big country,
far from the profane touch of in-
quisitive odd classmen. All Sa-
brina men bid her Godspeed.
146
d.Truly a unique custom is this of
Sabrina. Has it a deeper signifi-
cance than the mere college prank?
Even the most casual observer can-
not help seeing how participation
in such episodes during one's college
course is going to lighten the tedium
of the classroom and impress mem-
ories of happy college days and
friendship upon the mind of the
Amherst man, memories which will
never forsake him and which will
increase in value and sentiment
as age advances. But this custom
has even a more practical result
than creating food for memories.
It calls the men of the Sabrina
classes closer together, impelled
by a common interest. It draws
the members of the individual class
into a keener spirit of Class Loyalty,
and Class Loyalty and Class Spirit
make better College Loyalty and
147
College Spirit. And herein lies the
chief justification of this class
custom.
At every alumni dinner, where
a Sabrina class is present, you will
find a greater percentage of their
men in attendance, and Sabrina is
still the Goddess who draws them
together. Instance the following re-
port in the New York Tribune of the
New York Alumni banquet held in
1908:
" There is apparently something in
the atmosphere of old Amherst that
gives the vocal organs a greater
power than is attained on any other
hill, and the alumni just used this
power to the limit. ... Of course
there were honors also for others,
and of these latter ' Sabrina,' the
Goddess of the even classes, easily
led. . . . Sabrina,' as she ap-
pears at these affairs, is only a
148
replica of her true self, however.
The original, which the '08 class
has turned over to the '10 class, is
hidden away somewhere, the odd
men have not seen it in several
years. When her ' worship's '
counterfeit was brought on last night
there was a storm of applause from
the evens and a chorus of hisses from
the odds. The huskies who car-
ried the green lady placed her
tenderly on the table around which
were gathered the class of '94,
for they were the miscreants who
rescued ' Sabrina.' ... In the
course of the dinner ... all the
lights were extinguished and in the
centre of the room, where the men
of '94 sat, there flared up red fire,
whose effect was heightened by a
dozen sparkles that emitted stars of
fire, and ' Sabrina ' stood, or rather
reclined, in relief in bold relief some
149
would say as the evens sang ' All
hail, Sabrina dear.' '
Furthermore Sabrina has a live
influence among those who have
left the undergraduate days and
gone out into the world. In the
last six years, that is, since the estab-
lishment of the Reunion Trophy
Cup, three Sabrina classes have won
the Trophy with the greatest per-
centage of their class back at Com-
mencement, while but once have
the non-Sabrina men won the cup.
Last Commencement, '94, the class
which, as the reader will remember,
stole Sabrina from the class of '93,
had 85.33% of their class back for
their fifteenth reunion. This is the
record for Amherst, and is the great-
est percentage for any class reunion
of any college concerning which
statistics can be found.
Such considerations show that
Sabrina is a live deity with the
150
alumni long after they have left these
classic halls of old Amherst. Their
love and enthusiasm still cling to her,
and I close this little history of her
life with the words of a '96 alumnus:
' To think of such a Goddess,
remembering the charming legends
related about her, is a pleasure
enjoyed by all who know Amherst
traditions. But to have seen the
Queenly Sabrina, even to have had
a glimpse of her beautiful form, has
been the privilege of but few. To
caress the cheek of a real Goddess,
actually to sit in the lap of Sabrina
and pledge her your allegiance
before the admiring fellows, is an
unique experience. And through
cunning, wisdom and loyalty may
the delight be reserved for many,
many years to the Even Classes of
Old Amherst."
SABRINA SONG
We may sing of our glorious college,
Of the old chapel steps and the bell,
Of the class-rooms just rilled full of knowledge,
Which all Amherst men love so well.
But to-night as we're gather'd together,
Let us raise a strain loudly and strong
To her from whom naught can us sever,
To her who keeps watch o'er our throng.
Sabrina, fair, Sabrina, dear,
We raise to thee our hearty cheer,
Come fellows, all, and give a toast
To her we love, and love the most.
SABR1NA BANQUETS
*
Class of '90 held a banquet at New London.Conn.,
June, 1888. NoSabrina
Class of *9 1 held a banquet at Watch Hill, R. I.,
June, 1 889. Sabrina
Class of *93 held a banquet at Springfield, Mass.,
Feb., 1 890. Sabrina
Class of '93 held a banquet at Boston, Mass.,
June 19, 1891. Sabrina
Class of *94 held a banquet at Brattleboro, Vt,
June, 1892. Sabrina
Class of '96 held a banquet at Greenfield, Mass.,
Feb., 1893. NoSabrina
Class of "96 held a banquet at Nassau, N. H.,
Jan. 1 2, 1 894. Sabrina
Class of '98 held a banquet at Bennington, Vt.,
Nov. 14, 1895. Sabrina
Class of '00 held a banquet at New London.Conn.,
Nov. 1,1897. Sabrina
Class of *02 held a banquet at Springfield, Mass.,
June 1899. Sabrina
Class of *04 held a banquet at New London.Conn.,
May 4, 1902. Sabrina
Class of '06 held a banquet at New York City,
May 9, 1904. Sabrina
Class of '08 held a banquet at New York City,
Mar. 19, 1906. Sabrina
Class of ' 1 held a banquet at New York City,
Mar. 4, 1 908. Sabrina
Class of ' 1 2 held a banquet at New York City,
Mar. 5, 1910. Sabrina
SABRINA GUARDIANS.
CLASS.
18VU. Arthur B. Ingalls (by right of
conquest).
1891. Charles Wells.
1893. E. R. Houghton and James Breed.
1894. Harlan F. Stone.
1896. Charles J. Staples.
1898. Samuel B. Furbish.
1900. Everett E. Green.
1902. Robert J. Cleeland.
1904. Joseph B. Eastman.
1906. Ralph W. Wheeler.
1908. Fayette F. Read.
1910. Max Shoop.
LIBRARY
UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL UBRARY FACILITY
A 000613972 9